Tongariro River Mews – new affordable cohousing apartments on Piri Road…

These TRM introductory notes were tabled at the meeting of the Turangi Co-Governance Committee on 7 June.

SWMBO had promised prospective purchasers, who are still waiting patiently for resource consent approval, they would be kept advised by ‘progress reports’ on TRM’s facebook page. That way She imagines Her social media following will increase… Female cunning. The reality is that it is a very easy way of effectively communicating. This way our readers and inmates will be aware of TRM’s plans.

TRM (Tongariro River Motel) will eventually be redeveloped as Tongariro River Mews.  This staged multi-unit development will comprise the biggest residential development in Turangi for the last fifty years with an estimated total building cost in excess of $15 Million.

New affordable cohousing apartments are planned to eventually replace the obsolete motel on the corner of Taupahi Road with the only secure access restricted to Piri Road.  They will comprise a mixture of studios, 1, 2, 3 bedroom managed apartments plus a TRM community centre.  

The existing obsolete motel was originally developed in the 1950’s with a village shop and warehouse plus a caravan park.  The 1960’s realignment of SH1 resulted in subdivision with additional frontage to Piri Road and various motel units were added.  The remaining site now has a total area of 4760 m2.

The new proposal is to provide more intensive more affordable multiunit apartments to replace the motel.  A resource consent application was submitted to Taupo District Council in 2022 for Stage 1 comprising 7 apartments on vacant land in Taupahi Road and a ‘common house’ on Piri Road. The existing motel will not be affected by Stage 1.  More apartments will be added as required by demand – all apartments will be pre-sold before construction commences.

The centre of any cohousing concept involves a common house for residents to mix and mingle.  The layout includes common commercial laundry facilities, fish cleaning and smokehouse area, reception/administration with letterboxes for all units, and a large lounge/dining area served by a commercial kitchen.  First floor rooms are provided for club meetings, library, hobbies, etc.  

The cohousing concept may be compared to a small retirement community with significant advantages in that residents will own their own apartments, there are no age barriers, owners share in their own future capital gains.  The ‘wrap-around’ layout with only one entry point is designed to enhance security – a major factor in Turangi for absentee owners.